UFC 134: Preview & Predictions

Luiz Cane vs. Stanislav Nedkov: Nedkov has waited over a year to make his UFC debut, and he’ll finally get his chance here. With Cane, you never know what to expect. He’ll either storm the gates and murder you in the first round, or he’ll drastically underperform and lose to someone he shouldn’t be losing to. You just never know. Nedkov is undefeated, but his most notable wins have come over non-prime Kevin Randleman and Travis Wiuff, so he’s probably just as much of an uncertainty as Cane. Prediction: Luiz Cane

Edson Barboza vs. Ross Pearson: This is my prediction for fight of the night. Barboza, the owner of perhaps the most lethal leg kicks in all of mixed martial arts, comes into the fight having beaten Mike Lullo and Anthony Njokuani in his two UFC bouts. He’s a thrilling striker to watch, and Pearson’s willingness to stand and trade bombs will probably equal two things: one hell of a fight and Pearson’s demise. Prediction: Edson Barboza

Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira vs. Brendan Schaub: God help me, I don’t want to see this fight. Nogueira hasn’t fought since being massacred by Cain Velasquez last February, and he looked awful in that fight. Schaub has been tearing through heavyweight legends like butter, and he’s only getting better with each passing training camp. I’ve enjoyed watching Nogueira fight for years, but I don’t think I’ll enjoy this one. It’s going to be ugly. Prediction: Brendan Schaub

Mauricio Rua vs. Forrest Griffin: Yeah, Griffin beat Rua the first time around. And yeah, we know all about the knee injuries that Rua had going into that fight that kept him from training to even half of his potential. I say we throw all of that out the window and look at this fight based on what we know right now. Rua was on the verge of a career resurgence before running into Jon Jones earlier this year. He looked dynamic, like the Shogun of old. If he can keep that magic going into the cage against Griffin, he should win the fight handily. But if there’s one thing we know about Forrest Griffin, it’s that he makes you work for it. His fights are ugly and they are exciting, but most of all they’re exhausting. If Rua comes into this fight with the same depleted gas tank he had against Jones, Griffin will beat him again. If he’s healthy, Rua wins. Simple as that. Prediction: Mauricio Rua

Anderson Silva vs. Yushin Okami: We all know Okami was the last man to beat Silva, a fact that the UFC wisely chose not to play up since it was by disqualification. Okami is a solid wrestler in his own right and has spent plenty of time with Chael Sonnen, and we all know what Sonnen did to Silva. But we also know that Silva went into that fight with cracked ribs, and that’s got to hamper your chances of getting out from underneath a wrestler. Silva’s healthy now, which means Okami won’t be able to Sonnen him. He won’t even come close. Okami’s a strong dude, but not strong enough. Prediction: Anderson Silva.

3 Responses

I feel sorry for Nogueira, I think he needs to hang it up he just can’t bring himself to do it. Unless he is able to pull off a sub like he did to Tim Silvia I see Schaub beating him easily.

As for the Silva vs. Okami fight, I am going to go out on a limb and say Okami is going to win. I think with it being in Brazil Silva is going to be taking more chances then he normally does which I think could cost him the fight. If Silva does not finish the fight in RD1 then I think Okami gets him in RD4.

You’re one of the few people in the world brave enough to pick Okami. I’ve picked against Silva many times in the past and I won’t do it this time. Okami has good wrestling and can try to play the Chael Sonnen game, but Silva is healthy this time and I don’t think Okami has much of a chance.